Why you really can't always believe what you read in the news…

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Deception news now in the Daily Star. Admittedly, that’s a phrase that could preface most of their articles, but this particular instance concerns the list of things your partner is lying to you about:

From cheating to orgasms – the biggest lies we tell our partners revealed

COUPLES reveal the worst bare-faced lies they’ve told their lover.

We’ve all told little white lies at times, but some people have been brave enough to share the sordid tall stories they’ve gotten away with.

According to a new survey, a whopping 75% of Brits admitted lying to their partners and one in 10 reckon they do it regularly – with men expected to tell the most porkies.

Sometimes, Bad PR stories are almost too perfect in the way they encapsulate the problems in PR and in the media. Take, for instance, today’s story from the Daily Star, which appeared on page 8 of the print edition:

You can whistle

Wolf calls survey anger

Some women actually like being wolf-whistled, accoridng to a provocative survey on International Women’s Day.

One in 11 – or 2.4 million – said they took it as a compliment.

But campaigners on the women’s rights day blasted the research’s “poor timing”. Despite it being treated as a hate crime, 39% of women told the study they “actively encourage” cat-calling and “hope” they will be wolf-whistled at.

Astonishing, you might think, that the Daily Star would run a story that suggests that so many women actually enjoy being harassed on the street – and on International Women’s Day at that! But at least the Star had the good decency to ensure they published a story which ostensibly was at least critical of cat-calling, or of the survey, right?

Well, that’s the funny thing – the original press release didn’t condemn cat-calling at all, and played the street harassment angle for a bit of cheeky fun, highlighting how being wolf-whistled on the street actually makes women feel confident and desirable. I know it did, because I saw the original release:

1 in 11 British Women LIKE Being Cat-Called

New research has revealed that one in eleven British women like being cat-called, with 39% of these stating that they ‘actively encourage’ catcalls and ‘hope’ they will be catcalled when they leave the house. Furthermore, 15% of women admitted to finding unavailable men attractive.

According to new research, one in eleven British women actually like it when men cat-call them, with many confessing that they boost their confidence and that they leave the house hoping to encourage that kind of attention. Furthermore, 15% of women confess to being attracted to unavailable men, with the majority stating that it makes them feel ‘more desirable’.

There was no mention of International Women’s Day, at all (although there is surely no chance the story wasn’t timed to deliberately appear on that particular day). There was, however, a nicely prominent mention of the originators of this story:

The team at www.VoucherCodesPro.co.uk conducted the research as part of an ongoing study into British attitudes towards each other. 2,488 British women aged 18 and over were quizzed about the way that they’re treated by others and vice versa, and what they look for in a potential suitor.

So where did the condemnation come into it, and where did the reference to International Women’s Day come from? All I can surmise is that the original story was so completely tone-deaf and exploitative in its overt brandwagoning that it was too sexist even for the Daily Star to publish in its original format.

If the Star get half marks for their effort, zero marks have to go to VoucherCodesPro, the market research company used to compile the data (I’m pretty sure there is only One polling company likely to have been behind this one), and to the PR company who worked up this story for them – 10 Yetis.

In it they pour through the day’s news to highlight examples of PR done very well, and PR that backfires, has a poor reception or comes from a less-than-positive place. As a marketing tool, I’m sure it does wonders for the ethical perception of their agency, that they talk about the ethics and effectiveness of work done in their industry.

I wonder if they have the ethical integrity to add their own cynical and counter-productive International Women’s Day brandwagoning effort to their Bad PR round up tomorrow? I won’t hold my breath.

While it would have been easy to guess that funerals were unlikely to be the most enjoyable experience for the average person, it’s notable perhaps that of all funeral types, it’s the ones associated with the Islamic faith that make people the most ‘nervous’, with an apparent quarter of people admitting they’d be nervous about attending one.

The next obvious question, of course, is how does that stack up against other faith-based funerals? Well…

Topping the list was an Islamic service, with 26% of the 1,000 adults quizzed said they would be nervous about going to one.

It was closely followed by 25% who said the same about a Christian one.

That’s right, Christian funerals fared almost identically to their Islamic counterparts – yet the Daily Star (or the PR company that fed them this story) chose to emphasise the Islamic finding, presumably figuring it would garner more attention.

There are no prizes for guessing the industry of the PR client in this case, either:

The poll – by funeral company Damsons – asked which religious funeral people would be most nervous about attending.

This is literally nothing more than a funeral company telling prospective clients: “we know funerals can be hard, but it’s OK, we’re a safe pair of hands regardless of your faith”. And perhaps it’s achieved its goal, in that respect, but at what cost? With the needless singling out of the result for Islamic funerals, which was almost identical to Christian funerals (by far the most common funeral service in the UK), Damsons have generated a headline which will be skimmed over by readers of a newspaper with an established record of Islamophobia, the vast majority of whom will never spot that there was no difference between Christian and Islamic results, and will never realise that this is nothing more than an advert.

At a time of political and racial tensions, the PR industry simply has to be more responsible and ethical than this: their work does not exist in a vacuum; hyperbole in the tabloid press has consequences.

Our biggest missed opportunities relating to such crucial things as not having saved enough money in our lives, and not having traveled enough… which is an astonishing coincidence, given that the story was commissioned by a company which looks to save you money on your travel while you’re young:

Andrew Robertson, from 16-25 Railcard which commissioned the study of 1,500 adults of all ages, said: “Many of us have things that we might do differently in our lives, whether it’s travelling and exploring more, making an effort to keep fit, or being more careful with money.”

“The findings go to show how important it is to make the most of our time and live life to the full.”

Good to see that 16-25 Railcard managed to save money on advertising by using this PR story as a glorified advert for their services. Plus, with the coverage they got in four national newspapers and a handful of other media outlets, it’s fair to say their PR is well-traveled too. I’m sure they have no regrets.

If you’re thinking of going on a stag do soon, you’re in luck: the Daily Star and Mirror recently published important information on where gets you the most bang for your buck. As it were. But is this really news? Or just PR?

“Stags and their mates who make it to Eastern Europe and further afield often find that the extra hour or so on the plane makes a big difference, as their accommodation, food and drinks are much cheaper,” said Rasmus Christiansen from Pissup.com.

“It also means they have more spare cash to use for some adrenaline pumping fun, shooting machine guns, riding quads through forests and sampling other local delights.”

You’ve been around the block by now – I don’t have to tell you who Pissup.com are, what they do or why these articles are nothing but adverts for Pissup.com’s services.

Good Beer Guide salutes the no-frills boozers squeezing into unlikely spaces that are growing in number and offering greater choice for drinkers

They have popped up in former butchers’ shops, pet grooming parlours and even undertakers – and the growth in tiny no-frills boozers across the UK, tipped to number 200 this year, is being hailed as spearheading a revival in the enjoyment of real ale.

Britain is going potty for real ales, it seems. Which is great news for CAMRA, the body behind this story:

The burgeoning micropub scene is helping to bring real ale to spaces where a traditional pub would not be appropriate, filling gaps on high streets and improving choice for drinkers, according to the Campaign for Real Ale’s (Camra) 2016 Good Beer Guide, published on Thursday, which also reports a 10% rise in the number of UK breweries for the third consecutive year.

It seems that as the migrant refugee crisis continues at Calais, the supposed flow of traffic between the UK and the continent isn’t all one way, as droves of Brits flee these shores for less rainy climes. Reports of the idyllic lifestyle to be found abroad as an ex-pat deserve no additional pinches of salt, not even when the source of this particular piece of PR has so clear an agenda:

The UK is a friendly nation as it ranks ahead of countries like Germany and Switzerland in its openness to migrants, according to InterNations.

I hadn’t heard of InterNations either, so I decided to look them up – according to their website, “InterNations helps expats to feel at home abroad, meet people and find information about their new environment.”

It’s not hard to see why InterNations might want to persuade us that all the cool kids are becoming migrants and ex-pats, and that all the coolest ex-pats are part of the InterNations community. In fact, here’s the head of InterNations to persuade us further:

Malte Zeeck, chief executive of InterNations, told Daily Star Online the UK is becoming a far more expensive proposition for people to live in.

He said: “InterNations is a social network for ex-pats worldwide. We have 1.8million members and we thought it would be a good idea to ask members about the different aspects of life abroad.

Way to get your whole sales pitch into the first sentence of your response, Malte.

“In the UK, the weather played a big role and the top reasons for moving was the climate, the cost of living, and personal safety and crime. For cost of living it ranks 51st out of 64 countries when it comes to housing. It’s really costly.

“While I think that Britain is popular among ex-pats for job security, there is always the challenge of the question ‘can I really afford this life style?’. That’s definitely something a lot of people are considering. The positive factors are outweighing the negative factors for the hope of a better life in the UK but in the long run it’s quite negative.”

There we have it – in the long run, living in the UK is a negative experience, and we should all up sticks and leave the country immediately to find a better life in more a less hostile country. It’s nice to see the tabloid newspapers so supportive of that idea for a change.

Are we really a nation of thieves? Or is this a slice of opportunistic PR?

Staff also confessed to unscrewing light bulbs (three per cent) and taking tea bags home (six per cent), according to the survey of more than 2,000 office workers by the online cartridge retailer, CartridgePeople.com.

Andrew Davies, a spokesperson for CartridgePeople.com, said: “If you’ve ever wondered why there are never any pens in the office or no toilet roll in the toilets, you now have an explanation!

“Most office workers may feel that taking something from their office isn’t real theft and instead consider it a perk of the job, but the costs can add up for businesses.”

The costs can really add up for businesses? I suppose Andrew has a few ideas about how businesses can keep their consumables costs down, in that case.

Cometh the return of the football season, cometh the trotting out of the age-old stereotypes around men putting their team before their partner. If we were in any doubt that the story is nothing more than an advert for a sports betting company, we have a helpful spokesperson to clarify things for us:

A spokesman for sportsBettingOnline.net, which commissioned the survey, said: “When Match of the Day comes on the telly on a Saturday night it’s a real battleground in the households of football supporters across the UK.

“Often one partner wants to end their Saturday by getting close to their other half while for many it’s a time to get close to Gary Lineker and catch up on the latest from the Premier League.

Fortunately, things aren’t as bad as they once were for the women of the UK – merely a year ago, coincidentally around the start of the new football season, The Metro reported the number of men turning down sex ‘sessions’ for the ‘footy’ was catastrophically higher:

Finally there’s some proof that men would rather watch football than have sex

For every woman that has tried to unbutton her boyfriend’s jeans while whispering dirty thoughts in his ear only to be ignored while he fixates on the football – you are not alone.

A new survey has revealed that 40 per cent of men would rather get stuck into watching a Saturday afternoon match on the screen rather than have sex.

So the news is good – in just under a year, men are turning their back on football in their droves, in order to focus on their partners! Rejoice!

Or, both of these polls are unreliable, being as they are simple opportunistic adverts for a sports betting company (2015) and a sex toy company (2014). I can’t wait to see who will be hiring OnePoll to help patronise football fans this time next year!

Even in an age of austerity, people are turning down free money? Truly an astonishing finding, if true, and worthy of the coverage it received in The Daily Star, The Evening Standard and Mancunian Matters. In fact, the Evening Standard picked up on the local angle, highlighting that Londoners in particular are most likely to turn down free cash:

London may be one of the most expensive cities in the world, but many workers in the capital have been quick to turn down free money offered to them by a stranger.

As part of a social experiment, Londoners were offered up to £50 with no strings attached by a person in the street.

But despite the high costs of living in the capital, only three out of ten people approached took up the generous offer.

So who can we thank for this vital ‘social experiment’ and this important piece of sociological research?

The experiment was conducted by TopCashback to highlight that some things, such as free money, are not too good to be true.

That would be TopCashback, the cashback website. In case their particular angle on this piece of PR weren’t abundantly clear, their spokesperson ties up the edges neatly for us:

Natasha Rachel Smith, global head of communications at TopCashback.co.uk, said: “Unsurprisingly, the majority of the public were sceptical of the offer but those whom didn’t turn their back walked away with some extra money in their pocket with no strings attached – much like the gains you make when using TopCashback.co.uk.”

Perhaps the public’s skepticism is well-placed, when cheap advertising is passed off as sociological research.